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Luxury living for our stay in Quebec City! All the athletes competing in the Snowboard Jamboree are being accommodated in the Hilton Hotel! I’m really starting to see the value in high end hotels,  its all deriving from the amount of food I have consumed at each buffet meal…. Its only day 1.   

Today was first day of halfpipe practice! Its been a late start to the competition season for me due to injuries but I can happily say that I landed my first contest run of the season in practice today!

Sam Weston (http://samweston.blogspot.com/) and I hiking Whistler Blackcombs Halfpipe. Whistler has been getting dumped on, on a regular day this is a very good thing! But when you realize a competition is quickly approaching and your tricks aren’t completely dialed, there is work needed to be done in the tube. There has been over a foot of fresh snow in the bottom of the halfpipe each morning making the pipe quite slow. The only way around this is to dig a runway from the point of drop-in leading into the next wall. This isolates a section of the halfpipe that is fast and favorable to work on one-hit tricks. In the midst of piecing my run together for the Burton Canadian Open Feb. 3rd-4th! I could use a few more good training days, so for the first time in my life I would like to tell the weather gods to keep precipitation to a minimal this week. Thank you.

I still haven’t grown out of playgrounds…. I don’t know if I ever will! This is my playground over the summer, enjoy!

At Packers Plus, their 12 days of Christmas looks a little differently than the Christmas carol you might be used to! Merry Christmas everyone!

The view of Copper Mountains halfpipe cut to perfection on contest day for finals at the US Grand Prix. This contest was amazing to watch but looked even more fun for those competitors riding in it! I was envious, on the sidelines still recovering from sport hernia surgery advised to start the season slow. No competing for this guy, but the best thing for me was to be back on snow and doing what I love! Refraining from going airborne until halfway into the trip, I put a lot of emphasis on “carving” a technical skill involving edge control that can make the difference in amplitude and is usually a skill that often gets overlooked. I progressed from carving to jumping off the knoll of landings to performing front and backside 360s off 20-30 foot jump’s, with halfpipe riding as the last stage to my recovery. Mentally and physically I am feeling strong which has me quite optimistic about this season!

Louie Vito, an American rider performing his version of the cab double cork at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge with a 3rd place finish behind Iouri Podladtchikov in 2nd and Shaun White with the win. It was interesting to see the difference with the level of intensity and power thrown into Shaun White’s edge control versus the other competitors allowing him to go higher with the biggest amplitude of the day. Iouri also impressed me with 3 consistent double corks performed consecutively, similar tricks to Shaun’s run. After watching the US Grand Prix and Dew Tour I have a good idea on what it takes to make it on the podium. I have a lot to learn but my favorite part is the challenge!

 The Man the Myth the Legend of the Whistler Valley Snowboard Club household, Brad Martin, reunites with the team after 3 years! Brad was a chaperone, a teacher and a cook for the WVSC house for 3 years. Surprised to find out Brad was living in Boulder, Colorado just under a 2 hour drive away, we had to track him down! It was awesome to have him shred with us just like old times! Keystone parking lot, before departure after a long day on the hill!  Below: myself, Coach Joe McAdoo, Darcy Sharpe and Andy Matthews.

settled back into my whistler home, and gifted with weather like this in my backyard. Its going to be a good Season!

The exercise bike and elliptical have been my best friend for the past couple months. I have been training on a daily basis in recovery after my surgery in October. Aerobic exercise was the first component directed into my recovery program and will continue to be. My training has progressed from short walks to long walks, to exercise bike, and now pushing it to new levels on the elliptical! Stoked!

“Core…Core…Core!!!” Are the words emphasized by my physiotherapists. Activation of  transverse abdominals with squats. Won’t be too much longer before I will be on my board after these exercises.  

“Mobility…Mobility…Mobility!” also emphasized by the physiotherapists in my recovery. Balancing core strength exercises with stretches to improve mobility for power and performance on the board. I will be snowboarding for the first time this season in Colorado after we arrive December 1st! Excited but know I cannot let the on-hill adrenaline carry me away. I am advised to take it slow and ease my way back into sport, nonetheless I will be back in my element!

parking in the patient parking section at the UBC hospital in Vancouver. Moments before the surgery room!                               ready to bring on the repair! Just about to go under for “Sport Hernia” surgery, only to be bigger, faster and a stronger snowboarder. I will be well prepared for the 2011/2012 winter season! Stoked. Let it snow!                                                                     

at the Granville Island Hotel after the procedure. Feeling better than ever, mind you the Tylenol 3′s combined with the local anesthetic were still working well at this point! 3 tears patched and a highly anticipated winter season awaits!